Argentina thrashed a youthful Burkina Faso side 7-0 in Buenos Aires on Saturday, a emphatic warm-up act before Lionel Messi's farewell appearance against Benin at the same Estadio Monumental later this week.
Burkina Faso fielded their under 23 side after their flight from Morocco was delayed, leaving the squad to arrive in the Argentine capital barely five hours before kick off, a disruption that showed early as the hosts raced into a commanding lead.
Lautaro Martinez opened the scoring in the fourth minute after goalkeeper Razack Guira saved his initial penalty, following a clumsy foul by Moumouni Diallo, with the rebound falling kindly for the Inter Milan forward to finish from close range.
The goal was Martinez's 42nd for Argentina, drawing him level with Sergio Aguero in third on the country's all time scoring list, behind only Gabriel Batistuta on 54 and Messi, who leads the way with 125 international goals.
Diallo was involved again four minutes later, inadvertently turning the ball into his own net, before Gianluca Prestianni made it three in the 12th minute, exchanging a one two with Martinez before finishing calmly to register his first senior international goal.
Nico Paz extended the lead on 35 minutes, running onto a ball over the top from Alexis Mac Allister and finishing through Guira's legs at close range, before Julian Alvarez completed a slick passing move to make it five just a minute later.
Lionel Scaloni made wholesale changes at half time, and Argentina's dominance continued regardless. Franco Mastantuono netted his first international goal just after the hour mark, finishing a move involving Leonel Flores and Facundo Medina with composure inside the box.
Guira produced a string of fine saves to keep the score respectable, denying Mac Allister from a header and later Mastantuono from a dangerous free kick, before Santiago Castro also struck the crossbar during a frantic closing period of the match.
Giuliano Simeone eventually completed the rout in stoppage time, heading home unmarked from a Valentin Barco cross, sealing a seventh goal and bringing the curtain down on Argentina's emphatic second outing of this September to October international window.
Attention now turns fully to Tuesday, when Messi will make his final appearance in the Albiceleste shirt against Benin, closing out an international career that began decades ago and has delivered Argentina's most celebrated modern generation of success.